Kan's conscience and sense of values is what cost him his job.

[kristopher]

Kaieda, Matsumoto went over Kan's head on nuclear exports

BY AI MATSUMURA STAFF WRITER
2011/09/13

In August, his days numbered as prime minister, Naoto Kan refused to authorize exports of nuclear power plant technology to Vietnam despite having actively pushed the project months earlier.

Alarmed that the huge contracts could go to another country, then Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda and Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto went over Kan's head and jointly signed a letter addressed to Vietnam's prime minister assuring him that there was no change in the policy.

Kan had actively promoted exports of nuclear technology to Vietnam before the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake that triggered the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. In the aftermath of that disaster, Kan started pushing for less dependency on nuclear power.

According to government sources, South Korea initiated intense lobbying efforts with Hanoi to win contracts to build nuclear power plants in Vietnam after the accident at the Fukushima plant...

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201109120247.html




More and more I'm coming to see similarities in the moral fiber of Kan and Jimmy Carter...